Little Black Folk Doll Kit (hft4717)

Dolls have been created for children in nearly every culture. Handmade cloth rag dolls would have been popular in the early American colonies since porcelain dolls from Europe were very costly. Slave children in the southern plantations were not allowed to play with white dolls so their mothers or other relatives made black dolls from scraps of cloth available to them, more than likely from worn-out clothing. Surviving black rag dolls have been found in "Underground Railroad" hideouts where black slaves hid on their escape routes to the north for freedom. A child would not have been able to carry much and, in a hurry, could have dropped or misplaced a doll in the dark. Our adorable Little Black Folk Doll Kit is a wonderful project for doll collectors and those with historical interests, as well as for daughters, mothers and grandmothers. Doll can easily be made entirely by hand. Uses beginning embroidery stitches on head and basic stitching on body and clothing. Kit includes black cotton fabric, muslin, printed fabric (color will vary from kit to kit) for dress, poly-fiberfill stuffing, three colors of embroidery floss, sewing needle, history of black dolls, instructions and pattern. Finished doll is approximately 4-3/4" inches tall.